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FHP: Orange County teen who was hit by SUV used crosswalk

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - Parents and students witnessed an accident Wednesday morning in Orange County in which an SUV truck a 14-year-old girl in the middle of the road.

The Florida Highway patrol said Thursday that after interviewing 10 students who were at the crash scene on Wednesday, troopers have determined that the teen was in the marked crosswalk when she was struck.

Charges are pending against the driver for failure to yield to a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk.

Residents said the road is very dangerous.

The accident happened at about 6:45 a.m. on Waterford Chase Parkway as Borzhana Matziak tried to cross the road to get to her bus stop.

Authorities said it didn’t appear the driver was speeding when he struck the girl. Witnesses said the man, clearly emotional, got out of the SUV and even performed first aid on her while waiting for medics to arrive.

“I turned back because I was looking for the bus coming and I saw the car hitting the girl,” witness Luigi Giacomelli said.

On Facebook, the driver later posted, "Pray for this girl. I hit her this morning. I laid hands on her and cried to Jesus. She started breathing. Pray for her. I'm a wreck."

Matziak was taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital with a severe head injury, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

She is now in stable condition.

"A lot of crazy things happen on this road. A lot of people trying to get out and into their homes," said resident Rocky Lee. "I've seen close calls before, so it's not, it's not a surprise for me."

Waterford Chase Parkway has become an easy way for drivers to go from Avalon Park to Alafaya Trail to avoid State Road 50.

People who live in the area say the road has become more like a race track.